The Philosophy of Football

The Philosophy of Football:In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa

The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa by Jed C. Davies is a product of three and a half years of research, interviews over coffee tables, bus journeys through foreign countries and the development of an idea. The idea has been a simple one: to theorise and understand the philosophy of one of the most influential football coaches in the history of the game: Marcelo Bielsa

From over 50 training sessions, theory on rotations and movement to the languages of the game and the #1-3-3-1-3 formation, Davies has explored many of the themes that merge into one to form the Argentine’s football thinking. The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa delivers best in its attempt to celebrate football played between lines: between the opposition midfield and defensive lines. Between enemy lines

In the eighteen chapters of Davies’ book, no page is without the theme of placing value upon a pass and tackling the war in that exists football philosophy, among those who prioritise possession and those who prioritise positioning. The infamous seven lines of play are given context within a specific playing style of ‘vertical football’

This book has been written for football coaches and those wishing to develop a greater understanding of the game on a tactical level, providing a framework to analyse the game through, but most of all this book has been written to act as a reference of the game. For this reason, examples given in the book are diverse, from The Chile National Team and Athletic Bilbao to Juanma Lillo’s Millonarios and Gary Speed’s Wales coming together to form The Philosophy of Football

"Coaching the Tiki Taka Style of Play is incredibly well researched. I would highly recommend this book to any coach. I am really impressed, it's the best football coaching book I've read in a long, long time. Great job"

The Philosophy of Football: In Shadows of Marcelo Bielsa

Latest Features

A link to the Red Bull Analysis Project available on Jed Davies' YouTube Channel. During the 2013/14 season Red Bull Salzburg were managed by Roger Schmidt, now of Bayer 04 Levekusen in the German Bundesliga. Red Bull Salzburg beat Ajax, Bayern Munich and won their domestic title when they finished 18 points clear at the top. However, it wasn't the achievements that caught the eye but the extreme playing style Red Bull Salzburg adopted.

Click here for a short analysis project outlining some of the elements that existed within Schmidt's Red Bull Salzburg.

Our favourite analyst online, Thomas Peze, has had some of his best work translated into English. Peze mixes animations, video and text as a way to portray clear messages in his analysis. This particular piece gives an indepth look at the system of play and common tactical trends employed by one of the most famous coaches to come out of the 'School of Bielsa': Mauricio Pochettino.

Make sure you check out the other analysis projects on Thomas Peze's website, from Atletico Madrid and Juventus to Villarreal - all with the same high quality analysis style.

"Chile have never been considered traditional footballing powerhouses but their style over the last eight years has infiltrated the global sport’s consciousness... In Chile’s case, a combination of two men, one group of players and good timing would enable the country to leave an immutable mark on football history". Those two men? Marcelo Bielsa and Jorge Sampaoli, another famous 'Bielsista'

TheseFootballTimes.co is without a doubt our favourite football website. Ensure you check daily for other quality content as well as their excellent Podcast: The Lob, filled with high profile guests.